Following the news of 70 deaths in Gokulpur Mother & Child Hospital attached to the Local Govt Medical College the Government of Uupar Pradesh decided to suspend and later remove from service the Principal, the Head of Pediatrics and 2 other unit heads. A Cabinet meeting ensued which decided that respectable public figures should be appointed in place of these rogue doctors. Soon Mr Ghani Chowdhary Ex MLA was appointed Principal of the medical College and Local District and Session Judge was given additional charge of Head of Pediatrics. The local Sant Govardhan whose widely acclaimed cow urine therapy is universally accepted now has been given charge of one of the two units of paediatrics. The SP Police has been given additional Charge as the 2nd unit head.

Two days into the new appointments there was a minor fracas in the operation theatre between the new Head of Pediatrics and the Head of Obst and Gynae Department over a call being sent at 2 AM to the Paediatrics on call doctor. This doctor was not available as he had suffered fracture both bones leg in the morning following assault by some patient’s relatives. The Head Department of Paeditrics now being the Sessions Judge was next on call and hence was paged to attend the delivery which infuriated him for having disturbed him at 2 AM. In OT , he however decided to summon the Head of Obstetrics immediately to ask why so many cesarean’s were being done at the middle of the night.

While the two argued the OT nurse quietly informed the gynaecologist about the inability to hear foetal heart sounds. The HOD OBst & Gynae rushed into the OT conducted emergency caesarean and delivered the baby in less than 2 minutes flat. As was customary when she turned to hand over the limp baby to the neonatologist it was realized that the supposedly on call new HOD Paediatrics had fainted. The Gynaecologists themselves resuscitated the baby and luckily the baby gave a hearty cry soon after. Next day the HOD Gynae was summoned to the Principal’s office and given a notice for suspension pending inquiry into excess caesareans being done in her department.

Meanwhile the supplier of oxygen who had recently received a windfall of 60 lacs (minus the cuts and commissions) following the hue and cry over the 70 deaths allegedly due to lack of oxygen had filed a case in high court for criminal defamation against the 4 doctors who had already been suspended. He claimed that deaths had occurred due to negligence of these doctors and not due to lack of oxygen (which he had not supplied) as was claimed. The Court formed a high level fast-track fact finding committee to look into the matter under the Chairmanship of Sectretary Local Bodies, with a senior journalist and a woman’s right activist as other members. Their findings were submitted to the court in the evening which blamed the junior & senior doctors of paediatrics department squarely for the deaths. The High Court decided to award 5 years rigorous imprisonment to these 22 junior and senior doctors, ordered the State Medical Council to cancel their registration to ever practice medicine and asked them to pay jointly and severally sum of Rs 25 lacs to parents of each of the 60 children who died.

The Mother and Child Hospital had now become bereft of services of the entire paediatrics Department and to fill the lacuna it was decided by the Department of Medical Education to recruit AYUSH doctors since the MBBS & MD were not working properly. The Gynaecologists & Anaethetists protested to the Principal against this move and were rebuffed curtly. They decided to go on strike and on 2nd day of the strike a PIL was filed by a concerned advocate against the doctors illegal strike in HC which was heard and the matter was decided on the same day. As per the order it was held that if the Gynaecologists were afraid of working with AYUSH paediatricians they could sit at home. Following this there was a mass resignation of all gynaecologists and anaesthesiologists which was promptly accepted by the Government. Nurses and Dais were recruited in place of these doctors and this 1000 beded Mother and Child Hospital became the Ideal Hospital with no doctor of modern medicine in consonance with the Dreams of New India.